Over a Dozen Youths Forcibly Taken for Military Conscription in Dawei Town

August 8, 2025

Dawei Town, Tanintharyi Region

HURFOM: Between the night of 3 and 4 August 2025, at least 14 young people were forcibly arrested and taken by junta forces for military conscription in Dawei Town, according to local residents. The arrests were carried out both in public and during late-night home raids under the pretext of checking guest lists.
At least five people were detained from Sham Ma Lei Shwe Ward, three from Ta Line Thein Ward, and four from Uthayan Ward. Witnesses said the military arrived with specific names and forcibly removed individuals from their homes.

“They grabbed people right off the main roads and dragged others out of their houses,” said a relative of one of the detainees from Sham Ma Lei Shwe Ward. “Some were taken using military call-up letters, but others were taken without any explanation.”

A woman from Dawei noted that because many youths who had received call-up notices have gone into hiding, the junta is now arresting others arbitrarily, regardless of whether they were officially summoned.
On 5 August, at least five more individuals were reported to have been arrested in Kyet Sar Pyin Ward and along Strand Road. Residents also reported that on the night of 4 August, junta soldiers arrested four young women, all around the age of 20, during home raids in Kyet Sar Pyin Ward.

Most of those arrested are male youths aged between 19 and 35, and are officially registered as permanent residents of Dawei Township, not temporary guests.
According to internal junta sources, the conscription operations are being carried out under the framework of the People’s Military Service Law, and have intensified in recent weeks. In July, regional commands—including the Coastal Regional Command Headquarters—were reportedly ordered to conduct conscription as if carrying out a military operation, to meet recruitment targets.

Those arrested are being held at Infantry Battalion No. 401, based in Tha Pyay Chaung, where they are gathered before being transported via waterway to the No. 12 Advanced Military Training School in Palaw Town.

HURFOM continues to monitor these widespread forced recruitment operations, which are contributing to rising fear and insecurity across Tanintharyi Region. These acts violate international human rights law and further demonstrate the junta’s use of coercion, intimidation, and violence to sustain its military apparatus.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News